GENTIANA 



GEONOMA 



G37 



no. pilmila, Jacq. Stem li-t-aii^Med : ralyx lobes linear: 

 corolla lobes ovatej acute. June, July. Tyrolese and 

 Cariuthian Alps. 



;"■>!. acaiilis, Linn. Gentianella. 8temless Gen- 

 tian. By the botanists uf contineutal Europe this is 

 often split up into the -4 or 5 fitlluwinfj; sjiecies. The 

 plants that Linnaeus ha<l in mind w^Vf. in-()!ial)ly mostly 

 Clusii and Koohiana. For pictures uf (/. ai'du'jis in its 

 widest sense, see B.M. ry2. (.I.C. III. Lj:'j;i(;. Gn. 48, p. 

 U(i, and 5-4, p. :t!*, ami P.S. :23:24'21, Avhere a more detailed 

 account of the -1 following species is given. 



r.2. angnstiJ61ia, VilL, not Michx. Stoloniferous: Ivs. 

 linear-oblung, narrowing towards the base, glistening 

 above : lis. spotted with s])rightly green; calyx lobes 

 more or less spreading, oval, abruptly contracted at thr 

 base. May, June. Limestone rocks, Alps.— Considered 

 liy ( 'orrevon tlie handsomest species of the whole genus. 



.';!. KocMana, IN.-rr. & Song. Lvs. large, flat, thin, 

 spreading, oval or broadly oblong, light green : calyx 

 lobes oblong, limp, more or less contracted at the base 

 and separated by truncate sinuses; corolla with 5 black- 

 ish green spots on the throat. May, June. Gommon in 

 pastures on granitic Alps. — Dislikes lime. 



.".4. Cliisii, Perr. and Song. Lvs. lanceolate-acute, 

 leathery : Hs. dark lilue ; ralyx lobes pressed closi:; 

 against cjroUa, not contracted at base, and separated by 

 acute sinuses. May, June. Limestone rocks, Alps. 



5.1. alpina, Vill. Stem almost wanting : Irs. small, 

 glistening, curving inwards and imbricated, forming ro- 

 settes which incurve at about the middle: Hs. dark blue. 

 May, June. Granitic Alps. — This and G. Korhiaita "re- 

 quire a compost of one-third crushed granite, one-third 

 iieath soil, and one-third vegetable loam, and shimld 1m' 

 planted on rockwork half exposed to the sun." 



50. Dinirica, Beck. Lvs. broad, thick, erect : fis. dark 

 blue. Alps of 8. and E. Austria. 



The following are trade names alji'Oiid o£ (Icnl-iniis imt suf- 

 ficiently desi-rilied tor insertion al'o\<.': './, A rrmicnsif!, l-bjrt. 

 Perhaps a var. of Piieunioiiiiiitlie. I-'ls. Kapek-on blue. See G. 

 (_'. II. 20:40.— (r. C'}iarpenti?ri . Tliom. Xaturally hybrid, inter- 

 mediate between luteaand piinctata: corolla spotted red: calyx 

 Ti-cut. Grisebach does not say whether the corolla is not plaited, 

 anthers always free, and style none. Alps, above Engadine.— 

 <i. Fetisowi, Kegel. St, erect, tall: tls. deep blue. China. Gt. 

 10G9.— G. Sceugsti, Haiism.=(T. Kummerianii,.- ''. Ki'sselrimji, 

 Regel. Height about 8 in.: tls. -whitish, dotted violet outside. 

 Turkestan. Gt. 10S7. -- G. Kmn me rlnna, Sendt. Hybrid liet ween 

 lutea and Pannonica, Fls. vellowish.- (r. WfilUr/ilanr/. Heigbt 

 «-12 in.: tls. (dear bhie. — t?. WnJvj<hr!, Regel & Schmalh. Fls. 

 whitish, dotted pale blue. Tui-kestan. Gt. 1140. "W. M. 



GENUS, pi. GENERA (i. e., JcimJ), is a term used in 

 natural history to designate a group of species. As with 

 species, so the Genus is an indefinite conception, varying 

 with the author. The chief value of the conception is 

 its use in aiding us conveniently to arrange and name 

 plants and animals. The name of the Genus is the first 

 of the two -w^ords in the name of the plant : thus, in Bras- 

 .sica oleracccf, Brassica designates the Genus, and 

 oleracea the particular Brassica of which we are speak- 

 ing. It is impossible to trace the origin of the genus- 

 conception in natural history, but it is usually as- 

 cribed to Konrad Gesner (Zurich, 151G-15Go). l_ 2;_ g_ 



GEONOMA ("Wittstein gives this ponderous explana- 

 tion: 'MIreek, f/t'0*(o»'o,s, skilled in agriculture: for this 

 tree puts forth buds at the apex of its stem which be- 

 come new trees''). I^ah)if}ce<e, tribe Are <:ea'. Slender 

 spineless palms with ringed, reed-like stems : lvs. termi- 

 nal or alternate; blade entire, 2-lobed at the apex, or 

 more or less pinnatisect; segments acuminate, l-nerved, 

 with the margins broadly recurved at the base; rachis 

 acute above, convex on the hack; petiole nearly cylin- 

 drical, concave at the base above; sheath tubular; 

 spadices ascending or recurved, simple, forked or panic- 

 ulately branched, slender or stout, often colored ; 

 spathes 2, often deciduous before tlowering, or obsolete, 

 the lower cue partial, truncate, concave, the upper com- 

 pressed or fusiform: fls. borne in the furrows of the 

 spadix, at length partially exserted, when in 3's the 

 upper one pistillate: cells* of the anthers twisted: fr. 

 small, globose, black. Species about 100. Tropical 

 America. For G. Gliieshreijh(id.na, see Calyptrogyne. 



Jared G. Smith. 



Several of the members of this extensive genus of 

 small-growing palms are useful for the greenhouse, 

 though most attractive while in a small state, from tho 

 fact that Geonomas soon begin to form a stem, and 

 when aged become rather scantily furnished specimens. 

 These i:)alms are by no means difticult to grow, and do not 

 require a very liigh temperature, their natural habitat 

 being the mountains of Gentral and South America, 

 some of the species being found at an altitude of over 

 4,000 feet above sea level. Geonomas form part of the 

 undergrowth on their native mountains, and are said 

 never to appear in the open country rinsheltered by trees 

 of larger growth; therefore, shade is necessary for them 

 when cult, under glass. 



The old practice of growing Geonomas in a very light, 

 peaty soil does not seem to be the only method, for ex- 

 cellent results have been secured by growing them in a 

 good loam, well manured and well drained, giving an 

 aliundance of water and a night temperature of 00°. 

 lied spiders and thrips are the most troublesome insects 

 to which these plants arc subject, and both of these 

 posts multiply much more rapidly if the plants are kept 

 too warm and dry. 



The most useful species from a commercial point of 

 view is G. iTi'iedeliaua (G. gracilis),whU-h reminds one 

 of Cocos WeihlfUlana, but has longer teallets. Those 

 marked thus (*) are cult, under glass in the North ; 

 those marked thus (t) are cult, in S. Calif, only; the 

 others are cult, indoors North and also in S. Calif., ex- 

 <M?pt G. Spixiana, which is cult, only in S. Fla. The 

 picture of G. Sp/xia>iii below is adapted from Martins' 

 work on palms. 



899. Geonoma Spixiana. 

 A tall palm, as it grows in the tropir-s. 



A. Lvs. si)Np!i.'. J-lohed at the aper. 

 B. Cioieate-ohtdiinohite, riistij, ivinentose. 



Spixi^na, I\rart. Fig. 899. Stem slender, solitary, 6-9 

 ft. high: l.dades 3 ft. long, liifurcate one-fourth of their 

 length, each lobe lanceolate-acuminate, divergent. 

 Western Brazil. 



BE. Cuneate-ocate, 'plicate. 



Sedmanni, Hort. Low, 1-3 ft. high : lvs. all alike, the 

 first 2 in. long, the later ones 10 in. long, short-petioled, 

 triangular, with broad, scarious margins* blade feather- 

 veined Central America. 



